The Lost Art of Living
by Vicky Ocean
Summary: Domino and Cable reunite and return to the mansion. Trish Tilby is mysteriously beaten attacked. Beast struggles to save her and come to terms with his feelings. Please R/R. *chapters1-5 revised*
1. The Search

Lost Art of Living 

Part 1

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are property of Marvel. Just for kicks, guys.

This is roughly set in current continuity but diverges after Soldier X #7 and New X-Men # 134

CHRISTMAS EVE

"He's ain't here, Bea."

Domino sighed, turning around to face Logan who had suddenly appeared. _All that ninja training, no doubt. _"I didn't really think he would be, Logan. I don't suppose you've heard anything."

"Nothin', 'cept where he's been, never where he's headed."

"He doesn't stay in contact with Scott and Jean?"

"Nah. You know better'n that, Bea. That's one goddamn stubborn man."

"You can say that again." Domino turned around and began to head back into the woods away from the mansion, but Logan's hand swiftly grasped her arm.

"Jean says you should come in and join the party."

"And you don't , Logan?" she said with a teasing sarcastic smile.

"I _know_ ya won't."

Domino smiled bitterly. "You're right. I never belonged here. Especially now without the kids and Nate. It would just be too sad and pathetic, wouldn't it? Alone on Christmas. Lurking out here waiting for him to show up. Ask Jean not to mention I was here. It's kind of embarrassing."

"She won't," he told her. "You don't have to be alone. C'mon, darlin', let's go for a drink or two."

"No strings again?" She raised her eyebrow inquisitively. "Thanks, but you do belong in there. They're _your _family." She pulled away from his grasp. "Go back in to the party. Let me know if you hear anything, okay?"

"You got it, darlin'." He watched her turn to walk away and then called out to her. "Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, you too, old timer."

DECEMBER 27

"G.W., tell me you got something," Domino said as she collapsed into the chair across the table from him.

"I wish I could, Dom. You want something?" he asked but she waved the menu he offered away. 

"You're a big shot in SHIELD, Bridge, and you expect me to believe you don't have anything on him?"

"Only where he's been, never where he's going."

"Why does he have to be so fucking mysterious all the time?"

"Because he wouldn't be Nate."

"And damn him for that."

"Why the sudden interest, Dom?" Bridge asked studying her from behind his coffee mug . "I mean it's been a couple of years and you two really didn't part on the best of terms, did you?"

"There's something I need to give him."

"Who's mysterious now?" Bridge asked but got a glare in return. " Have you talked to that reporter he was hanging with- what was her name? Irene. Irene Merryweather?"

"No."

NEW YEAR'S EVE

"Hello?"

"May I speak to Nathan?" Domino asked Irene.

"Nathan? He's not here. Is he coming here? Do you know? Oh, that would be just like his stupid mysterious self." The woman on the other end of the line began excitedly, but then stopped abruptly as she must have realized very few people knew of her association with the man once known as Cable. "Wait a minute. How do you know about him? Why would you call me? Who are you?"

"Just a long lost friend."

"Are you Domino?"

Domino didn't answer unsure of whether to reveal herself or not.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm Domino. Do you know where Nate is?"

"No. I wish I did. I get letters every so often, but he never says where he's going only where he's been."

"That seems to be the theme."

"Is he in trouble?"

"Knowing Nate, more than likely."

"When you find him tell him- tell him-"

"Spit it out," Domino said getting impatient with this woman's emotional nature.

"Tell him I miss him."

NEW YEAR'S DAY

"He doesn't want to be found."

Domino turned to see tall red-headed woman standing behind her. "Yeah, I've gotten that impression. Rachel, I presume?"

She nodded. "Domino, I presume?"

"Yeah."

"Just because he wants to lose himself does not necessarily mean he doesn't need to be found."

"I know."

"Good luck."

MARCH 20

Nathan dropped his gear on the floor and sighed. His safe house here in Switzerland had always been his favorite, even if it had been destroyed several times over. He always felt at peace here. Maybe it was because it was situated in the middle of nowhere and he didn't have to worry about telepathic background noise from a bunch of neighbors. Or maybe it was the one that felt closest what he imagined a home should feel like. _Damn, Nathan, just depress yourself further_, he thought as he stretched and rubbed his the back of his neck trying to get the kinks out. He used to not hurt like this. Or perhaps he didn't realize he hurt like this. Most of his life he hadn't had time to think about what he felt like. There had been too much to do, but now he was having trouble filling the hours. He didn't know how to do anything but fight, so that's what he did. He traveled the world to various hotspots and tried to lose himself in other people's problems. It hadn't really helped . He had lost his focus, his mind drifted in battle, and he had made mistakes that he was ashamed to admit to. _Face it_, he said to himself, _You're getting old_. _And old soldiers just fade away._ He sighed heavily. A hot shower and a pot of coffee would certainly hit the spot at any rate. He walked into the kitchen to start the coffee and to his utter shock found a cheerily wrapped package beside the coffee maker. "What the hell?" He examined the package carefully, unsure of exactly what to do. He stared at the paper. _Dalmatians in Santa hats? A Christmas present? _Throwing caution to the wind, he ripped the paper off to reveal a book. "The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra And the Lost Art of Living" _How strange_, he thought and opened the cover to find familiar handwriting scrawled on the inside. 

"Hey, Nate.

I know this has shocked the hell out of you considering our lack of communication over the past couple of years, but isn't it about time you got around to the "lost art of living". Don't tell anyone I said this, but there's a rumor going around that there's more to life than blowing shit up. Can you believe it? We've been misled.

Yours ever, 

Dom." 

Nathan glanced over at the wrapping paper. Dalmatians. Dom. "Oath! Computer, how long since Domino left?"

"Ten minutes Forty eight seconds."

#Dom, come back.#

Domino swooshed down the slope more than a little discouraged that Nathan hadn't been there. Not that she really expected him to be there anyway. She figured it was a longshot at any rate. She hadn't even known if he had rebuilt the place. She decided to leave the package there. She supposed he would eventually come back at some point in time. This safe house had been his favorite. She had tried her best to find him, but with no success. The ball was in his court now.

#Dom, come back# Nathan's voice practically screamed in her mind .

She started the process of slowing down and suddenly he was there in front of her, She couldn't stop quickly enough and collided with him. They tumbled down a snow bank and came to a stop with Nathan on top of her. "You stupid fucking overweight bastard, get off of me! You're crushing me!"

Nathan scurried quickly to his feet. "Dom, are you okay?" he eyed her sprawled out in the snow. Her skis and gear scattered about her.

"No, I am not." She started to sit up but was struck by a sharp pain. "Ow! I think you broke a couple of ribs." She flopped back down. "You fucking irrational son of a bitch, I was coming back. Fuck, that hurt." She looked up at him for the first time. "What the fuck happened to your hair?"

Nathan, looked slightly embarrassed and ran a hand across his stubbly hair. " I shaved it."

"What the fuck for?"

"Do you have to use "fuck" in every sentence?" Nathan lifted an eyebrow. He knew she swore excessively when she was nervous.

"Fuck yes." Domino grinned up at him trying to hide her anxiety. "Your ears look huge."

"I don't have big ears."

"They kinda stick out."

"They do not."

"Okay, Dumbo."

"I wouldn't start with Disney thing, Dom. There is some wrapping paper full of dogs that look just like you in the house."

"Point."

Nathan started to shiver and realized he was standing in sub-zero temperatures in nothing but his shirt sleeves and he was soaked from the tumble in the snow. "Would you mind moving the banter indoors?"

"What the hell's wrong with you anyway, you nut? I was coming back."

Suddenly they were in the safe house. Domino looked around, carefully not looking at Nathan. Now that the banter had stopped she didn't know what to say and again became aware of her nervousness.

"Look, Dom. This has been a hell of a day. Will you sneak out if I take a shower?"

"I might sneak out if you don't. You stink." she said once again sliding into her comfortable argumentative persona.

"Thanks," Nathan grunted as he walked into the bathroom. "Put some coffee on, will ya?"

Domino pealed off her snow gear and set about making coffee. She added a little Jack Daniels for good measure. She knew she'd need it to reinforce her nerve and she suspected Nathan would too. It had been so long since they had been together. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but didn't even know where to start. He didn't even seem like the same man. He seemed smaller somehow. From the day she met him he had always seemed larger than life. A huge shining warrior who demanded respect even from his worst enemies. What had happened to him? He'd won the war, but he seemed more like the defeated. Domino ground her teeth. It made her so damn angry to see him like this wallowing in his misery like this. She had her work cut out for her.

Domino picked up the two mugs and stopped at the door of the bathroom. "You decent?" she called.

"Yeah."

Domino sighed heavily at his simple answer. She had hoped for at the very least a slightly lecherous joke. When he didn't open the door telekinetically for her, she kicked it open. Nathan was standing in front of the mirror shaving . He laid down his razor and she handed him a mug. He took a sip of his coffee. "Mmm. Your infamous Jack Daniels blend. I needed that." He looked up to see Domino staring at him. He looked down to make sure his towel was still secure.

"Nate, your virus-"

"It's gone."

"What do you mean it's "gone"? What happened to it?"

"The Legacy cure mutated it and I was able to remove it."

"Wow."

"Yeah, except now my powers are all out of wack. That's why I didn't open the door for you. I would have probably ripped it off it's hinges."

She didn't say anything else so he turned back around to continue shaving.

"Nate, your head. It's bleeding. You hardheaded idiot, didn't you feel someone bean you on the back of the head?"

"I guess I forgot about it," he said as he reached back to touch the wound. "But now that you mention it is kind of sore."

"Sit down. Let me look at it."

Nathan meekly complied and sat down on the edge of the tub. Domino found the first aid kit and set about treating the gash. Her touch was efficient yet gentle. No different then the hundreds of other times she had tended his injuries. He knew she would never admit but he knew she enjoyed taking care of him. He missed that. He missed someone looking after him and he missed having someone to look after. Someone he cared about. How did they come to this state of affairs? He sighed heavily. "Dom, do you hate me?"

Her hands froze for a minute, shocked by his question and the sad resignation in his voice as if he already believed that she did. She began working again. "Nate, I've followed your ass across half the third world only to find a bunch of kids and crazies spouting your Askani shit. And I tell you what , after about three months of that, I'm ready to ring your god-damned neck, especially if you start with that Zen rip-off crap yourself. You know me, Nate. Would I go through all that just to give you a stupid Christmas present if I hated you?"

"No. I guess not." 

"But I'll tell you what, Nate. I did hate you for a while, for a good long while. Then one day I realized I didn't and maybe I never really did. Maybe I was just scared. I don't know. But I missed you more than anything. We've been through too much just to end up hating each other for no real reason at all." 

Nathan didn't say anything and Domino completed her ministrations in silence. Then she asked the question she was afraid to ask, trying to make it sound casual almost conversational, but the crack in her voice spoiled it. "Do you hate me, Nathan?"

"No, Dom, I hate myself for not asking you to stay that day in Hell's Kitchen."

"You shouldn't, Nate. You had moved on. It was just too late for us."

"What do you mean 'moved on' ?"

"Well, you and that reporter chick, Irene."

"Dom, Irene is just a friend and my -umm- well- never mind."

"Your what?"

"My friend."

"And? I know you were going to say something else."

"My chronicler."

"Of all the conceited , megalomaniacal things you've done, Nathan…"

"It's not conceit, damn it," he said more than a little angrily and jerking away from her. "For one thing, it's a tradition among the Askani, but frankly I really just wanted somebody to know that I am someone other than the Askani'son or Cable or, hell, a damned Summers. I wanted someone to know that I was a just a man, who despite the many facades, had hopes and dreams beyond the destiny everyone mapped out for me. Contrary to popular belief I don't enjoy being so damn mysterious all the time. I've just forgotten how to be any other way."

"I knew, Nathan," Domino said quietly. "I've always known."

"But you weren't there, " he told her bitterly.

"Nate-"

"I wasn't accusing you, Dom. Oath, I know I've pushed you away. Maybe, in the long run, more than you have me. Despite everything you've always been there whenever I needed you most, no questions asked. And I - I've rarely been there for you. Dom, I want you to know how much I regret that."

"Nate, don't blame yourself. And don't say you haven't been there for me. You've always had my back. Even when I was alone and had no hope left, there you'd come like some damn knight with shining arm."

The image elicited a snort from him.

"And I have no doubt that if you knew about all that shit with Tsung and Junior you'd have been right there, but I didn't want you to know. I was looking for reasons to hate you. But I don't want to try to hate you anymore, Nathan, and I don't want you to hate yourself. So what do you say? Truce?" She held out her hand to him and grinned. "What is, is, and all that?"

Nathan grasped her hand, "Deal."

They stood hands still clasped, staring at each other for a few seconds, not really wanting to let go. But then their nervousness began to return and Domino dropped his hand and smiled sweetly at him, "And to celebrate our new pax why don't you cook us a nice dinner."

"Why me?"

"Oh, come on, Nate. You know you're a much better cook than I am. Besides I want to take advantage of this bath tub."

***********************************************************************************************

"Couldn't you have soaked a little bit longer? Dinner's not quite cold yet," Nathan said without looking up from his book.

"Bastard. I'll have you know that's the first decent bath I've had since I decided to find you. War zones aren't exactly known for their plumbing."

"I guess not." Nathan said looking up at her standing in front of him wrapped in a blue towel. He raised an eyebrow speculatively.

"You left my bag outside when we teleported."

"Oops." 

"That wasn't part of some elaborate plot to get me in a state of undress was it, Nate?" she asked teasingly with a grin.

"Like I need an elaborate plot for that," he countered though without the leering grin that would usually accompanied such a response. "Not that there's much of a selection, you can help yourself to my closet." He stood up and headed to the kitchen.

Domino returned shortly dressed in a plaid flannel shirt. It came past her knees so she hadn't bothered to put on any pants, not that any of his would fit her anyhow. Nathan was still sitting at the dinner table, reading his Sinatra book and humming. He seemed almost content. He always seemed content when he was reading. She smiled inwardly at the particular Sinatra song he was humming. "Oh, come on, Nate, you know you like it much better when I'm not a lady."

Nathan smiled guiltily and almost shyly at her. "Was I humming 'Luck be a Lady'?"

"Yep. Wonder what's on your mind."

He cleared his throat nervously and changed the subject. "I'm afraid we don't have any wine with dinner."

"What are our alternatives?" She asked sitting down across from him.

"Water, Killians, or Jack Daniels."

"Jack, please. I don't know how you drink that thick beer."

"I like beer with substance." he said as he poured the Jack into her glass. He sensed her amusement and looked up at her trying to hide an amused smile. "What's so funny?"

"You and your glasses. You used to be so vain about them I haven't seen you use them in years. Well," she amended a little sadly. " I haven't seen you in years anyway, I guess."

Nathan was unsure of what to say so he opted for a piece of trivia. "Did you know that Sinatra drank a bottle of Jack Daniels a day?"

"He must have been a mutant."

They began to eat in silence. Neither one could really think of what exactly to say to the other. There was so much that needed to be said, but they were never very good at expressing themselves. Nathan kept stealing glances at Domino and for the first time realized how tired she seemed. She was a little thinner than she probably should have been and her eyes seemed a little unfocused and it wasn't from the whiskey. She didn't even notice when he began to openly watch her. "Dom, are you okay? You look exhausted."

"No, I am not okay and I am exhausted. Thanks," she sighed heavily and pushed her plate away. "You're a tough man to find."

"When was the last time you got some sleep?"

"About two days ago. I think. Time zones always confuse me."

"Go to bed then. Before you fall face first in your rice," he said with a small gentle smile.

"I guess I will." She rose from her chair. "You- uh- coming?"

"Not just yet. I- uh- I'll clean this up first," he said gesturing to the table.

Domino nodded and walked off to the bedroom. "Goodnight, Nathan."

" 'Night, Dom." Nathan watched her walk into the bedroom and then poured himself another glass of whiskey. He finished it off quickly and then poured another. Then he cleared the table and washed the dishes. After he was through, Nathan sat down at the table again with the bottle and just stared at the closed door of the bedroom because he didn't have the courage to face Domino in his bed. It was a big bed but not so big that they wouldn't accidentally touch. What would happen when Domino's icy feet automatically sought out the warmth of his body or he in his sleep sensing her warm presence pulled her to him? He just didn't know if he could deal with that right now. Not that he didn't want her. _Oath, I do_, he thought_. In everyway possible. _Seeing her reminded him of the aching loneliness in his mind where their link used to be. His arms ached to hold her again, but this was too sudden. Her appearance out of nowhere had thrown him even more off balance than he was already. He was more unsure than he had ever been before. He wanted it to be right this time. He sighed and flipped open the Sinatra book. Nathan stared at the inscription. "Yours ever." Had she really meant that? He hoped so. _Help me, Frank, _he thought, pouring another glass, and began reading, praying for an answer.

***********************************************************************************************

Domino lay in Nathan's huge bed hoping both that he would soon join her and that he would not. She so desperately want to feel his strong arms around her, his warm breath on her neck, and his fingers absently combing through her hair. She was afraid too. She was afraid that they wouldn't feel the same as they once had long ago. She was afraid that she wasn't strong enough to pull Nathan out of his depression and she was afraid the he wasn't strong enough to hold onto her. _Please let this work_, she prayed to whatever deity was listening.


	2. Tiffany's at Breakfast

Domino awoke slowly, enjoying the luxury of a soft, warm, and clean bed after several months on the road. The warm haze cleared from her mind as she suddenly realized in whose bed she was in. Afraid to open her eyes, she felt around the bed, but there was no other bodies, nor any warm spots where Nathan could have previously been. When she was satisfied that he was not there she opened her eyes and looked about the room. Still no Nathan. _Good_, she thought. _It freaks me out when he just sits there and watches me sleep. _The only sign of his presence was a breakfast tray on the nightstand. It contained French Toast, bacon, coffee, orange juice and small light blue box tied with a white ribbon. She leaned over to inspect the box more closely. _Tiffany &Co.? _"NATE!" she bellowed.

Nathan flung open the door and came running into the room with a gun drawn, ready for trouble. A quick glance around the room reveal that she was alone and completely uninjured. He lowered his gun. "What?"

Domino pointed to the blue box. "What is that?"

"It's Christmas present," he said keeping his tone as expressionless as his face.

"Tell me you just didn't teleport out and get that."

"No, I've actually had it a couple of years." He looked down and began to examine the gun in his hand intently. He seemed embarrassed. "Irene made me go shopping with her one day and we walked by Tiffany's and it made me think of you. So I went in and decided to get you a Christmas present."

"Hold on a sec, buster. Tiffany's made you think of me? What are they selling now? Sterling silver grenades or something?"

"Not that I'm aware of." He looked up to meet her gaze and she was shocked by the intensity of his gaze and looked away down at her hands. Nathan sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Listen, Dom, I know you're not the tough heartless merc babe you want everyone to believe you are. "

"And what does that have to do with Tiffany's?" she asked leaning back against the pillows and folding her arms over her chest, quickly putting on her defiant façade. She was determined not to let her nervousness show. "Domino and expensive jewelry just aren't two things people relate to one another. I'm confused here, Nate, or perhaps you were confusing me with someone else."

"Will you just shut up for a second, I'm trying to explain," he said sharply and the immediately regretted it. "Oath, Dom, you know I'm not good at this heart to heart shit."

"Well, neither am I."

"Irene made me watch "Breakfast at Tiffany's" -"

"She was a bossy little thing, wasn't she?" Domino interrupted.

"Anyway," Nathan continued, ignoring her comment. "I watched the movie and Audrey Hepburn's character reminded me of you. The weird sense of humor, like not naming your cat. I can see you doing that. More than anything she made me think of you how you throw away happiness with both hands because you were afraid of being caged, even by someone who loved you. And how you were both scared little girls trying to act tough. In all the years I've known you, Dom, I don't think I realized that was why you were always running until that sappy movie. I know it sounds stupid."

"Nathan-" She started but she didn't really know what to say. She lost her hardened skeptical glare and looked questioning up at him. "Is that really how you see me? A scared little girl?"

"Dom, you are one of the strongest people I've ever known. I can't count the number of times you been to hell and back and all the while keeping up the witty dialogue, but in the things that I've come to realize really matter, you are a scared little girl. Wars and once and future evil are all important things but they aren't the things that really make or break a man- or a woman. And I can't think of another person I'd rather have my back whether it be in the valley of the shadow of death or in love."

Domino looked uncomfortable. She hadn't been expecting such an eloquent speech out of him. "Nate, I don't know what to say. "

"Just open the damn box. It's not worth all this build up." Nathan he said gruffly and turned his back to her. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands massaging his temples as if his admission had given him a headache or was the start of a new one. 

She grabbed the box and began to untie the ribbon. She lifted the lid to reveal a platinum bracelet made like connected dominos with black diamonds as the dots. "Well, this certainly isn't a prize ring from a Cracker Jacks box," she said wryly.

"When I saw it in the case," he said without looking up, his head still in his hands. "I thought it was a sign. A sign that you would be coming back to me. And you did, but I acted like an ass. And you took off and ran into Blockade. "

"Nate, I need to tell you something."

"What?" Nathan said looking up at her at last.

"I've been in love you since I first joined the Wild Pack."

"And I was blind then and stupid and self sacrificing later. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. You were right I was scared, but I'm not now."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"That you should have showered me with expensive jewelry a long time ago. Diamonds are a girl's best friend you know," she said with a quirky grin and a mischievous wink.

Nathan looked shocked for a second and then laughed suddenly. And then continued laughing until he fell back on the bed and tears streamed down his face.

"Geez, Nate. It wasn't that funny," Domino said but she couldn't help but laugh herself. Nathan's laughter, when it was true, not bitter or sarcastic or many other things, was contagious.

Nathan finally caught his breath . "Oh, Dom, I've missed you. I haven't really laughed in so long I don't remember when the last time was."

"So that's all I'm good for? A laugh?" She asked playing at being offended.

"Among many other things," he said with a slightly lecherous gleam in his eye. He reached out and gently took her hand and then he placed the shining bracelet around her slender wrist. He brought her hand up and gently pressed it to his lips. "If jewels are what you want, my lady, you shall have them. I'll give you any thing you want."

"All I want is your love."

"You have it. Always." He pulled her across the short distance separating them. 

************************************************************************

Domino lay tangled in Nathan's arms as her mind was still tangled in his. She had missed the sensation of the mind touch more than she cared to admit. When their link was severed she felt adrift, cut off from her moorings. That was when she had really realized how much Nathan meant to her and how much she had come to rely on his steadying presence, strange, though, that such a time tossed man with an overly complicated family tree should be steadying. It was when he was no longer there that she had to truly admit to herself how much she loved him and how in all likelihood he was gone forever from her life. But she should have realized that among these X-types that forever isn't so very long. With that in mind she wanted to make the most of their time, because forever could end tomorrow. 

She allowed her mind to be pulled with the current further into Nathan's mind reveling in his afterglow as well as her own. He was content. That was a good feeling. It was something she knew he hadn't experienced often enough and neither had she. 

"I've never made love to a woman in nothing but platinum and diamonds," Nathan said fingering the bracelet on the pale arm stretched across this chest. She could feel him smiling. It was a strange and wonderful thing to feel another person smiling.

"And we've made love in a lot different places over the years. On the bed, beside the bed, hell, even under the bed, but never over the bed. That was a new one, Nate."

"What?" he asked. She felt the smile fall from his face and a chill run down his spine.

"Over the bed. Don't you remember? You levitated us about three feet over the bed. It was… different."

"Yeah, sure. It just kind of blurs together." She could feel him trying to pull out of her mind, but he seemed to have trouble. He was blocking her out but she could still barely feel him in the back of her mind.

"Nate-" Domino began, but he pulled out of her arms.

"I need a shower. Eat your breakfast. It'll be cold," he mumbled as he crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He shut the door soundly behind him. Domino began to nibble on her now cold breakfast and experimentally test out the newly re-established link, but he was shutting her out. She noted in grim amusement how the original psi-link was established between them after their first night of passionate sex and he'd shut her out after that that too. This time it was different though. She refused to let Nathan shut her out and she refused to let him run away from his problems, namely his out of control powers. If she was honest with herself they scared her. And she remembered what happened to Nate Grey.

When Nathan emerged from the bathroom, Domino was no longer in his bed. He sensed her in the living room and walked in to face her sitting on the couch with his packed suitcase at her feet. He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Taking a trip, am I?"

She glared determinedly at him, daring him to defy her. "Yes, we're going Westchester."

"Oh, joy."


	3. Explain To Me Again

"Explain to me again why you wouldn't let me teleport us," Nathan said shifting in seat, trying his best to get comfortable, but it was a impossible task. Even first class seats were not made with someone of his height and bulk in mind.

Domino sighed and stuffed the Sky Mall catalog she'd been flipping through into the pocket of the seat in front of her. "Because I don't enjoy having my molecules dispersed across the Atlantic."

"That's not what happens."

"Then what happens, Nathan?" Domino said fixing him questioning violet stare and a cocked eyebrow.

"Well, you know, I- um- you know." 

"No, I don't know." 

Nathan sighed. "Honestly, I don't exactly know. I just happens."

"Well, I wouldn't want to just "happen" to teleport inside of a wall. You know the way that damn place gets razed 

every other week. Everything's probably not the same as you remember it."

"Point. I just hate flying commercial." 

"Who doesn't? Anyway, Nate, what's with you sprouting all these new powers?"

"My telekinesis were always restrained by the T-O virus, I guess purging it kick started a latent teleportation ability."

"Maybe it's a secondary mutation."

"A what?"

"Secondary mutation. A lot of mutants have been going through weird changes lately."

***********************************************************************************************

"Explain to me again why we're here?" Domino asked following Nathan into Saks Fifth Avenue.

"Because I feel bad about leaving all your stuff under a snow drift."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh c'mon, Dom. Why do you always think I have some underhanded motive. Can't I just be nice?" Nathan asked slightly annoyed as he followed her around the racks of clothes.

"I don't know can you? Mr. Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani'son Summers, I'm not sneaky I'm just mysterious and I'm not megalomaniacal, I'm just the mutant messiah."

Nathan's eye flashed as he frowned down at her. "I thought you said 'What is is. Let's move on.'"

Domino rolled her eyes. "Geez, Nate. I was just teasing. You have been quite nice on several occasions."

"Oh."

"Excuse me," Domino said to the sales girl holding out a shirt. "You wouldn't happen to have this in purple?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be right back."

Domino turned her attention back to Nathan. " I still think there's an ulterior motive behind this little shopping spree. 

Could it be you're avoiding the happy little Summer's family re-union?"

"On the contrary," he smiled slightly almost painfully. "I'm avoiding the unhappy Summer's family re-union."

"Oooh, you're right. On second thought, I'll stay in New York. You go down to Westchester by yourself."

"Here you go, ma'am," the sales girl came back with her shirt. "May I show you to a fitting room?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Domino followed her into the dressing area and the sales. Nathan took a seat in a waiting area outside.

"May I get you some coffee or tea, sir?"

"Coffee. Thanks," he told the girl and then called out to Domino. "Oh, come on, Dom. It's not _all _that bad. You don't give them a chance."

"Jean's okay, but she's just too damn huggy feely. She give me the creeps. You know I don't like people to violate my personal space."

"And don't I have the scars to prove it."

"And your dad's just an uptight asshole."

"He is uptight, but he's not an asshole."

"Yes, he is. He's having an affair with Emma Frost."

"He what? How do you know?"

"Everyone knows except Jean. How a telepath doesn't know her husband's screwing around, I'll never know. I guess she doesn't want to know. God, I'd like to be a fly on the wall when she telekinetically rips their little heads off. Hey, maybe Logan can catch her on the rebound. Wouldn't that be fun, Nate? Logan as your stepfather. But would the husband of the genetic template of you mother be your stepfather? Nate? Are you okay?" Domino stepped out of the dressing room to see him staring off into space. "Nate?"

"It's Trish Tilby."

"So? It's not like you don't see her on the news every night." Domino looked around but she didn't see the famous newswoman.

"No, she's in trouble."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"What is this, now? 'Cosmic awareness' ? Who the fuck do you think you are now? Captain Marvel?"

"What do you know about Captain Marvel?"

"Hey, I keep up with what's happening in the super-hero community."

*********************************************************************************************

McCoy, get to the med-lab NOW!

"Who was that screaming in your mind, Dr McCoy?" the five blondes in the front row asked, but Hank just bolted out of the classroom without a word and ran to the med-lab as fast as he could. Dread curled up in the pit of his stomach, as his mind ran over the possibilities that could have brought the prodigal Summers back so unexpectedly and urgently. Hank slid into the med-lab, but it was empty except for the comatose Havok. 

"Cable? Nathan?" he called. Then there was a brief flash of light and suddenly Domino and Nathan carrying a bloody mass of flesh appeared. "Oh, my st-"

"It's Trish Tilby," Nathan interrupted.

"Fuck," Hank barely breathed. This was not one of the possible emergencies he had imagined. Then he snapped into Doctor mode. "Put her on the table, Nathan." 

Nathan complied and Hank began looking her over to determine the extent of her injuries. He would never have even recognized her. "Computer, locate and alert Xorn and Annie of a medical emergency."

"What do you need, McCoy?" Domino asked.

"A miracle," Hank said as he began to rip the remaining clothes off of Trish. 

Xorn came charging to the bedside "You called, Hank?"

"Yes, I'm afraid you're her only hope," he responded.

Annie ran in close at Xorn's heals. "What's wrong- Oh, my God!"

"C'mon, Dom. There's nothing else we can do," Nathan said and Domino followed him out of the med-lab. They began walking down the hall and Nathan collapsed against one of the walls. 

"Nate, are you okay?" Domino knelt beside him.

"I'm okay, Dom. Just let me rest a minute. It took a lot out of me keeping her alive."

" 'Keeping her alive?' What do you mean, Nate?"

"Oh, didn't I mention it? I now seem to have the ability to share my life force and draw on others."

Domino sighed and used the edge of her shirt to wipe some of Trish's blood of his face. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't be any fun if I wasn't, would it? Besides, you're one to talk, but I like you that way." He drew her face down to his and was about to kiss her when Jean Grey-Summers came sprinting down the hallway.

"Nathan, you're back! What happened? My God, are you okay?" Jean gasped seeing Nathan covered in blood.

"I'm fine. This isn't my blood," he said struggling to his feet, but he couldn't quite make it. Domino was instantly at his side supporting him. "I just need to rest for a little while."

"Jean, you want to point us in the direction of a bed?" Domino asked. "The layout of this joint has changed." 

"I've got him, Domino," Jean telekinetically lifted him and began down the hallway. "This way."

*****************************************************************************************

"Can you tell us what happened to Miss Tilby, Domino?" Professor Xavier asked.

She looked around the waiting room of the infirmary. Logan beside her, Jean and Xavier across from her and Emma 

Frost leaning languidly against the doorframe. They were all staring at her waiting for answers. She wished she would have passed out with Nathan.

"I'm not sure myself. Nate and I were in Saks. I was trying on some stuff and we were talking. Then he just zones out and say's Trish Tilby's in trouble. Then all of a sudden he just teleports us to her apartment and there she is bleeding on the floor, beaten to a pulp. No sign of her attackers. Nate grabs her and we teleport here."

"What's with the tin man teleportin' all over creation, Dom?" Logan asked, but she could only shrug before Jean snapped , "Logan, why do _you _of all people call Nathan "tin man"?" 

"It ain't about the metal in his body, Red. It's the lack of a heart."

"Ooh. A literary allusion from the wild man. How shocking. I didn't even know you could read," Emma said smirking. 

"And you must be the wicked witch of the west," Jean responded.

"An all-telepath cat fight. How exciting," Domino murmured to Logan

"Ladies, please." Xavier injected. "Jean, I know you're under a lot stress but-" 

He trailed off as Hank walked into the waiting room covered in more blood than it seemed possible to come from one woman. He looked on the verge of exhausted collapse. He had been in the operating room for about five hours already. Jean telekinetically pushed a chair over to him. He sat down gratefully. "She is alive and relatively stable. That's the most to be said. I need to call Forge," he said getting up suddenly and walking out of the room. They all looked curiously up at Xorn who stood in the doorway.

"Hank had to amputate her right arm and perhaps soon both her legs unless something can be done. Her knees are pulverized. I can't heal them. Or her face."

"This is nuts." Logan smashed out his stogie in irritation. "I couldn't stand the broad but she didn't deserve this."


	4. Arrest Me Red

Domino lay sleeping in Nathan's arms. He had already been awake for some time, but he was loathe to wake her up when she was sleeping so peacefully. Far too often he had seen her sleep plagued by nightmares. And if he was truthful with himself he just loved the feel of her body against him. He was lucky for once, he had gotten her back and he didn't intend to lose her again. One pale hand with bright red nails lay across his chest. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent in some places. He gently traces the network of veins in her hand. It amazes him that something so delicate and fragile looking could be so deadly. He felt her slowly begin to wake and felt her smile as she groggily realized she was wrapped up in his arms.

"Tell me something, Dom."

"Yeah?"

"How is it your nails are always perfect? Everywhere we've been, wandering through deserts or hacking through jungles or fighting any number of bad guys, your polish is never chipped and you never even break a nail. How do you do that?"

"Well, Nate, it's one of my little know mutant powers. I have little force fields around my nails."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Nate, I swear, you're such a sucker sometimes. I guess it's part of my luck powers I never really thought about it before."

"Oh." Nathan grinned sheepishly. "By the way, I like this color."

"It's called "Arrest Me Red"."

"You must wear that a lot."

"Very funny. At least I'm only wanted in this century. So are you just going to lounge around in bed for another day and a half?"

He flipped her over on her back, pinning her to the mattress. "Maybe. I think I can find something to occupy my time."

************************************************************************************

"Nice o' ya to finally put in an appearance," Logan growled up from his table be the door.

"It's good to see you again to, Logan," Nathan said looking down at him.

"What a bunch of freaks," Domino said glancing around the dining room at the students of the Xavier Institute having lunch.

"Dom!" Nathan glared at her his eye flashing. Logan chuckled.

Domino winked at him and elbowed Nathan in the ribs. "So are we. Probably more than them. Bet none of them have adamantium skeletons or Techno-organic viruses."

Nathan ignored her and asked Logan. "How's Trish Tilby?"

"She's alive. That's the best to be said or the worst. She'll probably wish she was dead. Forge came up this mornin'. He's makin' a cybernetic arm and knees for her. But her face? Don't think there's anythin' to be done about that. She'll never work on TV again."

"Logan!" Domino exclaimed suddenly spotting someone she thought she'd never see calmly eating at Xavier's. "Is that the Juggernaut with the fish kid?"

Logan looked casually over his shoulder before turning back to his meal. "Yep."

"What's he doing here?" Nathan asked.

"Teachin' gym."

"So, what's he a good guy or something, now?"

" 'Pears that way. I got an eye on him. Don't worry." Logan tossed his napkin on his tray and pushed back from the table. "Scott and Jean had to run down to India, so you're safe for a couple of days, Nate."

"What's that supposed to mean, Logan?"

Domino put a restraining hand on Nathan's arm. "Chill, Nate. He's just trying to push your buttons. Let's go eat. I'm starved. Later, Logan."

"See ya, Bea."

******************************************************************************************

Bobby looked around the med-lab. Hank had fallen asleep in his chair next to Trish's bed. Bobby glanced down at Havok as he walked by. "Alex, why won't you wake up?" he whispered before moving on to Hank. Bobby shook him gently. "Hank, why don't you go to bed?"

Hank rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine, Bobby. I just dozed off."

"You need to get some rest. You haven't left the infirmary in a week."

"I said I was fine, Bobby."

"Let's go get a bite to eat. The dining common's still open."

"No thanks. I'm not hungry."

"Hank, you've got to eat," Bobby said beginning to get exasperated.

"I already ate," Hank pointed to some Twinkie wrappers wadded up on the table.

"Hank, this isn't healthy. You're going to make yourself sick."

"I think I'm the one with the medical degree here. If you're going to nag , you can leave. I'm fine."

"You can't do anything else for her, Hank. You-"

"That's right! I can't!" Hank roared. "Get out!"

"Calm down! You'll wake Alex!"

"I said get out!"

******************************************************************************************

"Jean?" Bobby stuck his head in the library.

"Yes, Bobby?"

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he said looking around the room at Scott beside Jean and Nathan and Domino on the couch across from them. "But Hank won't leave the infirmary."

"I know, Bobby. Scott and I have already talked to him. The Professor, Logan, Annie, even Barnell have all tried to get him out."

"Can't you telepathically make him?"

"That wouldn't be right, Bobby. I think he needs to be there for Trish. He'll come out when he's ready."

"Either that or kill himself."

"Hank's more sensible than that, Bobby," Scott said. "Just give him time." 

"I guess you're right," Bobby turned and left.

"Speaking of Trish," Scott turned to Nathan. "How did you know she was in trouble to start off with?"

Domino rose from the couch beside Nathan. "Um, I don't think you need me for this, Nate. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Stay out of trouble."

She paused at the door and grinned at him. "I'll try." She shut the door behind her.

"What was that about, Nathan?" his father asked.

"She's uncomfortable with the family thing."

***************************************************************************************

Hank heard the elevator hiss open and footsteps walking toward the medlab. They didn't belong to someone he was familiar with. He sniffed the air. With his recently enhanced olfactory sense he could smell the visitor's perfume, a clean spicy citrus scent. A nice smelling woman with a heavy un-lady like walk. The foot steps stopped and Hank looked up from his monitor to see the Domino leaning against the doorframe, staring at him with those sharp violet eyes. _And they say my eyes look predatory_, he thought. "May I be of some assistance, Domino?"

"I want a steak."

"My dear madam, while I have been a trifle preoccupied of late I should hope that I would have noticed if I've further de-evolved into a bovine state. And even if I had that's no excuse to eat a fellow X-person."

"I want to go to that Harry's joint you old-timers are always yappin' about. I hear they have a decent rib-eye."

"They do indeed." Hank leaned back in his chair and met her gaze. Her expression was unreadable, like that of a geisha. "Are you suggesting I take you out to dinner?"

"Yep."

"Isn't that why you have Nathan?"

"The Summers clan are having a pow-wow."

"I see. I that case, wouldn't Logan be a more suitable escort for you?" A slight smile played a cross his mouth as her facade cracked for about half a second with embarrassment. _So the rumor is true_. 

"I want you." Her expression turned mocking, knowing exactly what button to push in retaliation.

"That, Domino, is something I have not heard from a beautiful woman in quite a while, nor am likely to hear for sometime to come. But I simply cannot understand why me?"

"I think you could use a couple of drinks."

"I could probably use a couple bottles but that is not the issue. There many more entertaining dinner companions in residence and I simply cannot leave my patients."

"What can you do for them at the moment? Havok's a vegetable and Tilby's drugged to the gills and neither one likely to wake up soon, besides isn't that why you have Nurse Annie?"

" Quite, but I was going over my notes on-"

"Bullshit, McCoy. You were playing Solitaire."

"I was just taking a break." Hank sighed . "You're not going to take "no" for an answer are you?"

"Nope." She smirked at him.

"Well, let us depart, if you insist."

"Not like that, we're not," she said pointing to his uniform.

"Are you always this demanding?"

"No use to draw undue attention to ourselves by walking around with "x"'s plastered all over us."

"And a big blue cat and a geisha with a perpetual black eye wouldn't normally." Hank pushed himself out of his chair and walked over to the closet where he kept some spare clothes. Domino sat down in the chair he just vacated and stared at the solitaire game on the screen. 

"If you'll excuse me a moment," Hank pulled a privacy screen out to change behind.

"Oh, please, McCoy. Save the school girl modesty. You may be furry and blue, but it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Oh, you might be surprised."

"Oh, really? I'm intrigued. Better watch out, McCoy, talking like that. You might just get "lucky" tonight."

"I think I'd rather not. No offence to you but Nathan may not be so open-minded and despite my current misery, I rather enjoy life." 

Hank pushed the screen back. Domino turned to examine his outfit. White oxford shirt, khaki's, navy sports coat with brass buttons, and penny loafers. She raised an eyebrow. "Very Ivy League, Doctor McCoy."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He glanced over her shoulder at the monitor. " 'Congradulations!. You won!'"

"I can't say I've ever lost a card game." 

"Remind me to swing by Vegas on our way back." He keyed the intercom. "Annie, this is Hank. I'm stepping out for the night. Could you keep an eye on every one down here?"

"Sure, Doctor McCoy. Have fun."

"Thanks."

Hank held out his arm in a courtly manner, "Milady Luck?"

Domino took his arm and he led her to the garage where his baby was parked. A brand new red T-bird convertible. She let out a low whistle. "Nice. Not the sort thing I'd thought you'd have."

"Well, what did you expect? A Volvo?"

"I guess." A persuasive smile lit up her face. "Haaannnk…"

"No," said flatly as he held the passenger door open for her.

"Oh, please. I promise I'll be very careful."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Let me drive. Please?"

"No."

"Oh, c'mon. You're not the type of man to refuse a lady are you?"

"In regards to this area, I am."

She moved very close to and smiled suspiciously sweet at him.

"This charade will not work, Domino."

She reached up with one hand and caressed his cheek. Hank smiled slightly to himself and resolved to remain firm no matter what she did, but she distracted him just enough to fish the keys out of his pocket with out him noticing. Domino took a step back from Hank and then leapt in the car sliding to the driver's side. 

"Domino, please…."

"Get in, McCoy. Live a little." She revved up the engine in invitation.

"God help me," Hank muttered under his breath and climbed in. Domino took off before he even had a chance to close the door. She went tearing down the drive and out the gate onto Greymalkin Lane, weaving in and out of traffic. The only reason they missed getting splattered several times over was her luck powers.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

Domino laughed maniacally. "Why does everyone say that?"


	5. Our Benevolent Patron Mr Jack Daniel

Domino followed Hank into Harry's Hideaway. "Doctor McCoy, it's good to see you. You haven't been around in awhile."

"Oh, you know how it is, Harry. It's hard to get a way sometimes. Harry, I'd like you to meet an associate of mine, Miss Bonaventure." Hank winked at Domino, but she rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Harry shook it. "This is Harry the proprietor of this fine established descended from a long line of Harrys."

"Good to know you." Harry smiled warmly at her.

"Harry, my lovely companion has come in search of sustenance. The bovine variety to be specific."

"Great, Doc. Your usual booth is empty. I'll send Molly right over."

Hank led Domino to the booth. Soon after sitting down a waitress came over. "Hey, Doctor McCoy, been a while. I guess I can see why," she said eying Domino.

"Quite the opposite, I assure you, Molly. Don't you read the scandal sheets?"

"Don't tell me you're really gay."

"Why not?"

"Because I've known you since you started up at Xavier's, that's why. I've seen you and your buddies right here day in day out for- how many years is it now?"

"Far too many to count, Molly."

"Anyway, I don't believe it." she shook her head in irritation. "What can I get for you?"

"A bottle of Jack Daniel's, two glasses- " Domino looked over at Hank. "You like ice?"

"I suppose."

"And some ice," she continued. "And two rib eyes, one medium rare and the other?"

"The same," Hank responded . "Thanks, Molly."

"So what is all this gay shit anyway?"

Hank glared at her. "Domino, I have been very indulgent with you so far tonight, but frankly that is none of your business."

"Hold on a fucking second, McCoy. I have never liked you or any of your other holier-than-thou X-Men buddies. And I know none of you have ever liked me. I tolerate you for the same reason you tolerate me- Nate. Hell, they didn't even like him until they found out he was Cyclops' son. But that's beside the point. I'm trying to do a rare good deed here. Damn it, McCoy, the Summers' don't have the market on angst cornered. I know you're hurting, none of your "friends" want to see that, because they always rely on you to be strong for them. Maybe because I'm on the outside I see it and for some stupid-ass reason I like to help you."

"Domino, I appreciate the sentiment, but you really wouldn't understand what I've been going through."

"Oh, yeah. Let's see here now. My looks brand me a mutant. I got kidnapped by the son of the man I loved and replaced for a year by an imposter and the man I loved couldn't even tell the difference, despite the fact we had a psi-link. And I won't even go into what that bastard son did to me. And that's just for starters. My powers have been fucked with by Prime Sentinels. I've been possessed by aliens and forced to kill people. I've been killed and come back to life because some weird thing attached itself to me. The kids that I trained and thought of as my own left me to follow some sneaky English Nick Fury wanna-be. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, the man I loved left me and the rest of his team behind to die. How 'bout them apples?"

"Some are frightfully disturbingly familiar. I hadn't realized."

"And here you just thought I was some chick with guns who was the occasional bedmate for the sainted Cyclops' son. I know a thing or two about being hurt."

************************************************************************************

After 2 bottles of Jack Daniel's, 2 ½ bottles of merlot… 

"I think I really did love her. I _know_ I did. I thought she really loved me. We'd been through so much. I was stupid and normal looking, then I was smart and blue. We saved the Shi'ar Empire together. We'd been through so much- uh- stuff. I figured we could work through the feline thing too- eventually. But no, she had to tell the whole damn world I said I was gay. Even then, things could've worked out eventually. But, now? I want to be there for her but I'm afraid. I don't want to give my heart away again. It always comes back to me in shreds. I'm afraid of her"

*************************************************************************************

After 2 bottles of Jack Daniel's, 3 bottles of merlot, 1 bottle of Jaegermeister…

"I've been in love with Nate since the first time we met. I didn't know it then. We used to argue like crazy. We still do. He is everything I ever wanted in a man. He's the only man I ever knew who could beat me at everything. With him I can afford to be helpless once in a while. We've been through so much shit. I thought I lost him a thousand times over. We've both hurt each a lot. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. He's changed now. I still love him but, I don't even really know him anymore. I'm afraid of him."

**************************************************************************************

After 2 bottles of Jack Daniel's, 3 bottles of merlot, 1 bottle of Jaegermeister, 6 Jell-O-shots…

"This is for a special little lady out there." Hank winked at her from the stage and began to sing, "They call you lady luck but there is room for doubt. At times you have a very unladylike way of running out…"

"Great. Another Sinatra fan."

**********************************************************************************

After 2 bottles of Jack Daniel's, 3 bottles of merlot, 2 bottles of Jaegermeister, 10 Jell-O-shots…

"This for my special beast." Domino winked at Hank and began to sing, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…."

"Oh, like I haven't heard that before."

*********************************************************************************

After 2 bottles of Jack Daniel's, 3 bottles of merlot, 2 bottles of Jaegermeister, 14 Jell-O-shots, 4 martinis, 2 Long Island Ice-teas to-go and a harrowing DUI waiting to happen played out to the Top Gun soundtrack…

Domino and Hank fell out of the luckily still intact T-bird. They attempted to stumble up the stairs into the house, but fell down them instead. 

"Hank? What did she do to you?' Bobby asked peering down at him.

"The very lovely Lady Luck has introduced me to my new best friend. A Mr. Jack Daniel. Are you familiar with him? If not you most certainly should be. And then we had those scrumptious little purple and blue jiggly things. What were they called, Lucky?" 

"Jell-O shots. They were fabulous weren't they?"

"I'm terrified. I'm mentally scarred actually. What have you done to him?!"

Domino pulled out a gun and pointed it at Bobby. "Go away."

Hank squinted up at Bobby, "Bobby, you aren't Multiple Man. Why are there two of you?"

Domino drew another gun. " I have two guns. One for each of you."

"Caaabbbllleee!" Bobby started bellowing.

"Quiet down, Drake. Don't wake the house. I'm right here." Nathan pushed Bobby out of the way and glared down at Hank and Domino.

"Uh-oh, Lucky. I think we're in trouble."

Nathan raised an eyebrow, "Should I be jealous?"

"Unfortunately , Nate, Hank is quite the gentleman," she said as she holstered her weapons.

"I see." Nathan pulled her to her feet. She fell unsteadily into his arms and grinned up at him. "'Take me to bed or lose me forever.'"

"Days of Thunder," Hank shouted.

"Top Gun, actually," Bobby responded. 

Nathan sighed. She couldn't possibly make it into the house under her own power. He slung her over his shoulder. He turned to Bobby, "Can you handle him?"

"I thinks so."

Nathan started to walk back into the mansion. Hank called after them. "Good Night, Lucky!"

Domino lifted her head slightly and then waved back. "Good Night, Fuzzy Wuzzy!"

Bobby looked down at Hank. "Fuzzy Wuzzy?"

"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy has no hair." 

"You're never going to live that down."

*************************************************************************************

"Nathan, if you say one fucking word, I'm going to beat your ass. And you know I can," Domino collapsed in a chair at the kitchen table. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and hid her face in her folded arms. 

Nathan just grinned to himself, but didn't say a word. She might not be capable of much now but he knew from unfortunate experience that, she would take it out on him later. So Nathan quietly finished making his sandwich . He sat down across from her at the table to eat his lunch and read Newsweek. A little while later Domino abruptly sat up, pushed her chair back and stalked over to the cupboard . She pulled out a glass and set it purposefully on the counter. Then she began pulling various strange substances from the refrigerator and mixed them together in her glass. 

"Darlin', what the hell did ya do to Beast?" Logan said wandering into the kitchen. He glanced at her. "You don't look so hot." 

"That's not a very nice thing to say to a lady."

"Ya ain't no lady, Bea."

"How would you like me to test out that healing factor, old man?"

Nathan cleared his throat. " Uh, Logan, are you ready to go?"

Domino turned to Nathan. "Where in the hell are the two of you going _together_?"

"We're going to check out Trish Tilby's apartment to see if we can figure out who attacked her."

Domino nodded and gulped down her concoction in one shot. "You two behave."

"You might want to fix Hank one of those. He's ain't used to drinkin' with the likes of you."

****************************************************************************************

"What's this?" Hank asked looking at the glass warily.

"A Prairie Oyster. It'll help with your hangover."

"I don't think I want to know what's in this thing, but at this point in time point in time I'm willing to try anything." 

Hank quickly emptied his glass and collapsed back on the bed. "To be uncharacteristically crude, I feel like shit."

****************************************************************************************

"Nate, there's somethin' ya should know."

"What, that you slept with Dom?"

"She told ya?"

"No, we are psi-linked, you know. I find out things I neither one of us want me to know sometimes, whether I want to or not."

"It was just a fling."

"I know," Nathan said picking up a picture of Trish with Hank. "Actually, I'd be more afraid of Dom falling for someone like McCoy than you."

"How do ya figure?"

"Well, as much as I hate to admit this, you and I are a lot alike. And Dom knows we're not the best of friends and that it would probably really piss me of that she slept with you."

"We didn't really sleep."

"Logan, I'm trying to be mature about this."

"First time for everything I guess."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Domino and Beast have a lot more in common than anyone might suspect. Besides as far as I've been able to learn her husband was something of an intellectual."

"Milo? Yeah, he was."

"You knew him?"

"Yeah. You might be right. Bea might be lookin' for a change from all the macho shit. You better watch out, Nate. That blue furred bastard can be more charmin' than Gambit when he wants to be. And you ain't exactly done right by her." 

"I know and I think that's what scares me." Nathan sighed and put down the picture and changed the subject. "I was right her attackers were being shielded. There's no physic residue other than Tilby's and nothing really coherent from her. Just pain. You picking up anything, Logan?"

"No, it's too clean. They must be government people."

"SHIELD, maybe?"

"Nah, not their style, just beatin' the tar out of her, they would've just taken her out clean. Could be a rogue faction, I guess. Maybe she found out something somebody didn't want gettin' out."

"Think they were just trying to scare her?"

"I dunno. They went overboard then. This is gettin' fuckin' weird." Logan said looking around the trashed apartment. " Found somethin'?"

"Her journal." Nathan flipped through it, skimming through several entries. "Hmmm. Maybe we should let Hank read this. What's wrong?" he glanced at Logan who stood there listening intently.

"Smell somethin' strange." 

"Doctor McCoy is-" Domino paused considering what to tell these kids. "Feeling a bit under the weather-"

"We heard you got him drunk," a girl with insect- like wings interrupted.

"You could say that."

******************************************************************************************

"Hank, you look like shit."

"Thanks, Logan, my self-esteem wasn't low enough as it is," Hank responded dryly. 

"We brought you another patient." Nathan deposited a fluffy white cat in his lap. "We found him locked in Tilby's laundry room."

The cat sniffed suspiciously at Hank but seemed to find him no threat and began rubbing on him begging for attention. Hank examined his collar. " 'Bones'? My, what a wit Miss Tilby has." Hank turned his attention back to Logan and Nathan. "So were you able to gain any more information about Trish's assailants?"

"Not really," Nathan told him. "Logan seems to think they were government ops. Maybe rogues."

"I see and why would they be after her? At in any rate, if they wanted her dead why not just put a bullet in her pretty little head. Why pummel her?"

"We thought you might tell us that."

"We found her journal an' seein' how you two used ta be so tight we thought you should be the one to read it."

"I see."


	6. The Diary of a Mutant Lover

July 10, 2001

Hank called today. He's just recovered from some severe injuries he received in Spain. I didn't even know he was in Spain. Why is it none of the X-men see fit to inform me when something happens to him? Sure, we have our ups and downs, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him. I mean Bobby should know how I feel about him. Or even Rogue, Gambit, or Bishop after all we went through together. Do they think that I don't matter because I'm not an X-man or a mutant. Do they see me as that insignificant in Hanks life just because I don't save the world every other week? I just don't know what I would do without Hank in my life one way or another.

Anyway , Hank invited me for lunch at the mansion tomorrow. He says he has a surprise.

*****************************************************************************************

July 11, 2001

I had lunch with Hank today. He's changed. He calls it a secondary mutation. I don't know anything about that, but he looks like a big blue lion. Kind of like a blue Vincent but more powerful. I'm glad he's still blue. It's such a nice color. His eyes are different though. They're not blue anymore. They're yellow like a cat's, very predatory. They make me a little nervous, but he's still the same lovable blue lug. I guess it'll take some time to get used to the new look. He's not so goofy looking now. He's more regal. His fur's changed too. It's denser, more velvety. I like it. He's having trouble with his hands though, they're more paw like now. He says he has to relearn his fine motor control. It just broke my heart to see him struggle so. He's always been so capable. So good with his hands. I know he was embarrassed but I know he'll be able to use them just as good as ever in no time. He was so nervous. I think he was afraid I couldn't deal with the change, but it doesn't really matter to me. He regained his confidence after we went up to his room. Though he's going to have to be a lot more careful with those teeth and claws. They're a lot sharper. 

*****************************************************************************************

October 1, 2001

Hank and I went to the Metropolitan Museum gala tonight. I bought the most beautiful silver and blue Celine gown to wear. Hank loved it and so did everyone else. Janet van Dyne had a lovely green Dior gown, the Contessa de la Fontaine had the most spectacular red Valentino gown on ( I suspect seeing her in that gown, or rather the chance of taking it off of her, was the only reason Nick Fury was there) and of course Emma Frost was there in an extremely revealing white (as usual) Gucci dress. I really feel sorry for poor Alicia Masters. She had a wonderful pink Ralph Lauren grown (one I almost bought), but she can't even see how beautiful it is. I don't know if I could bear being blind, especially if I had a talent like hers. Hank was the Belle or rather the Beast of the ball. This was the first big public event he's attended since his transformation. Everyone loved his new look. I had to fight the women off to even get a couple of dances with him, but I'm the one who came home with him

***************************************************************************************

October 2, 2001

I was afraid of this. A lot of people in the media have decided to pick on Hank, because of his new look. He says it'll blow over, it's just the initial shock. After all he's a noble Prize winning scientist and former Avenger, he says, and just because he's changed physically doesn't change any of the good things he's accomplished. I hope he's right.

*****************************************************************************************

October 5, 2001

Hank and I went to the opera last night. It was lovely, but now the media has decided to go after me now. A photographer snapped a picture of Hank and I kissing. The network says just ignore it, it's just a couple of mutant phobic critics and it'll blow over as soon as people realize that this Dr. Henry McCoy, former Avenger and Noble prize winner. I hope they're right.

*****************************************************************************************

October 17, 2001

This is becoming ridiculous. Hank and I are being constantly hounded by paparazzi whenever we go out. You'd think I was dating Brad Pitt. 

***************************************************************************************

October 24, 2001

I can't even stand to go to the grocery store anymore. All you see on the check out line tabloids are pictures of Hank and I. We've almost quit going out altogether and if we do, we use image inducers.

******************************************************************************************

November 1, 2001

I chaperoned the Xavier Institute Halloween Dance last night. Hank is so crazy. He dyed himself brown and attached horns to his head and was dressed like the Beast from the Disney cartoon. Hank begged me but I absolutely refused to go as Belle. He's really pushing his new look. If he didn't flaunt it so much I don't think people would talk about it so much. I went as Gilda, people didn't recognize me with my red Rita Hayworth wig and slinky black dress, but the general consensus among the male students and various immature X-Men was that I was "hot". This time Hank had to fight to dance with me. Hank tried to get me to sing "Put the Blame on Mame", but I wouldn't. At least not in public, he got a private performance later on.

*************************************************************************************

November 2, 2001

Some mercenary student sold pictures of Hank and I at the Halloween dance to the Enquirer. If that wasn't bad enough he cut and pasted it so that I was dressed as Belle. I could kill that kid. Professor Xavier called to apologize and said he would take care of it.

*****************************************************************************************

November 4, 2001

Apparently the network has decided that it has stood all the bad publicity it can stand and has told he that if I want to continue to see Hank I can't be seen in public with him at least until something more controversial comes along to catch the public's attention.

*****************************************************************************************

November 11, 2001

One of my producers came and dumped a sack of letters on my desk today. They were all from people who refused to watch my network because I was seeing a mutant. Then he showed me all the tabloids that I had been avoiding at the grocery store. Most of the articles were discussing our sex life, calling it bestiality. How can people be so sick. Hank is he most wonderful and kind lover I have ever had. So what if he has blue fur. Blue is my favorite color. I can't tell Hank about these letters, they would break his heart.

****************************************************************************************

November 20, 2001

The network execs called me in today. They said at the very least I need to appear to publicly break up with Hank if I wanted to keep my job. They gave me ten days to make it happen. Hank has no idea what I'm going through here, the way he is cloistered up in Westchester. I get letters and e-mails everyday, from angry viewers.

*****************************************************************************************

November 26, 2001

I had Thanksgiving dinner with Hank at the Institute. I didn't have the heart to tell him about the network's ultimatum. Hanks planned a hot air balloon trip over up-state next week. I sounds like fun. 

*****************************************************************************************

November 31, 2001

I've done a very cowardly thing. Tonight, Hank and I were supposed to have our balloon ride, but I went to D.C. instead. I called him from there, I couldn't even face him to break up , because I knew I could never do it. So I left a message on his machine and the network leaked a story to Entertainment Tonight, saying we had broken up. I feel so horrible, but I just couldn't stand the stress anymore. I had pressure from the network, pressure from the media, pressure from the viewers and the stress of trying to keep it all from Hank I didn't want him to be hurt. Today someone sent me a package. In it was a tiny kitten died blue and an awful letter saying this would be what our children would look like and did I really want to give birth to kittens. But I wouldn't care as long as they were Hank's, but I'm so weak. I can't stand it anymore. Hank can go off and save the universe before breakfast but I can't even stand criticism . I don't deserve him. I hope I haven't hurt him terribly.

****************************************************************************************

Hank closed Trish's diary. He couldn't bear to read anymore. He'd had no idea what she'd gone through and he could no longer try to hate her for hurting him. She'd suffered far more because of their relationship than he had. He silently promised her that he would do everything that was possible to make her whole again. 


	7. A Franc For Your Thoughts

" 'A franc for your thoughts,' " Domino said leaning against a tree just behind Nathan. He didn't even turn around to face her. He just kept staring out across the lake, but she felt him smile slightly. She walked to the edge of the dock and sat down beside him. They sat silently gazing out at the swans swimming in the lake. Domino took her shoes off and dipped her feet in the cool water.

"Are you falling in love with him?" Nathan asked.

"Who?"

"McCoy."

"Is that what all this brooding is about?" Domino sighed heavily.

"You didn't answer my question, Dom."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you , Nate."

"But isn't he a lot like Milo?"

"Just because he was my first love doesn't mean he was my greatest love. And, yes, Hank is like him in ways, but I don't love him. Hank reminds me a lot of Theo and maybe I can help Hank where I couldn't help Theo." Domino closed her eyes trying to will away the memories of Theo dying by her hand. 

"What happened to Grizzly wasn't your fault, Dom."

"I know. I miss him. Damn, Nate, now you're going to get me brooding. Anyway, during the 'grand affair' you imagined I was helping Hank go through the databases to find a mutant that might be able to repair Trish Tilby's face."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills that can manipulate bone, skin, and muscle. He's coming next week."

"That's good."

Domino elbowed Nathan playfully. "You can stop brooding now, Nate. C'mon, they're going to play "Butch and Sundance" in the theater at 8:00. You know how I love Redford."

"I don't know, Dom. I don't know if I can be around so many minds tonight."

Domino sighed and her voice was weary. "It's getting worse."

"It's okay for short periods of time, but after a while I have a hard time tuning all the minds out. Logan has a pretty isolated cabin in the woods. I think I'll stay there until I get this sorted out."

"Oh," she said softly, pulling her feet out of the water and hugging her legs to her.

"I'm not trying to push you away, Dom. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want you afraid of me. I know you are."

"Nate, I'm more afraid for you. Don't shut me out. I can't stand that anymore. I'm tired of being alone."

"Me, too." Nathan reached out and pulled her to him. "Stay with me?"

******************************************************************************************

"Hey, check it out, Nate," Domino peered down at the unconscious Havok. "You and your uncle almost have matching scars. That's kind of cute."

Hank put down the test results and twirled around in his chair to face them. "So, Nathan, Jean tells me you've come a long way in controlling your powers over the past couple of weeks." 

"My telepathy at least. My TK is still a not where it should be."

Hank leaned back in his chair. He pulled off his glasses and began cleaning them. "Well, Nathan, it's no wonder you're having difficulties. The only power readings I've seen higher than yours are that of the Phoenix. You are by far the most powerful mutant I've ever run into. And this new healing power- well, it's not new. In the past, I theorized that your time traveling and T-O virus had retarded your aging, but now that I've had a chance to examine you I have a new theory. Your healing power works by touch and every time you touch someone you take a little bit of their life force, not enough to hurt them. It's a miniscule amount, really, and you wouldn't even realize it. I believe this has also helped keep the T-O from advancing as well and helped you rid yourself of it. Now that it is no longer in your system the healing power has gone out of wack with the rest of you powers."

" 'Out of wack'? Is that a technical term, Dr. McCoy?" Domino asked irreverently, sitting down beside Nathan.

Nathan's horrified expression was quickly replaced by a blank one as he calmly asked ,"Are you saying I'm now drawing on others more?"

"No, not at all. I'm merely saying you've never been able to share your life force with others before now that it doesn't work to the virus at bay."

"So I'm not a danger to anyone?"

"Well you could consciously use it for malevolent purposes, but not unconsciously. Not in the amounts it would take to seriously harm or kill someone."

"Are you sure? What about over time?" Nathan glanced at Domino.

"Quite sure. In fact, the lady in question's "luck" power, for lack of a better term, prevents you from tapping into her life force."

"Hey, I'm here, guys!" Domino waved to them. "You can include me in the conversation."

"Sorry," Hank apologized a little sheepishly.

"What about the teleportation?" Nathan asked .

"That requires further study to determine exactly how it works. But I do know you are not jumping into another dimension as Nightcrawler does."

"And no sulfur stench either, thank God." Domino interjected.

"I guess we're done then for now, huh, Hank?" Nathan said getting up.

"With the exam, yes. But, Nathan, I'd like to ask a favor."

"Sure, Hank."

"Trish is stable enough for a telepathic scan and I'd like you to do it."

"Isn't she completely recovered? Why not just wake her up and ask her?" Domino asked.

"Because I'm not sure I want her to remember what happened to her." 

"Why me? Why not Jean or the Professor?"

"You did find her and you and Logan are investigating the attack so logically you are the best choice. And I believe the Professor and Jean would find it morally wrong to mind wipe even such a painful incident."

"So what are you trying to ay about me, Hank?"

******************************************************************************************

Hank looked up anxiously as Nathan entered his office. "Well did you find out what they wanted with her?"

"Yeah. They wanted you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, they knew they couldn't get to you here at the Institute, but if they could draw you out it would be easy. They knew she had a device to get in touch with you if she were in trouble, but they didn't know what it was. She wouldn't call you so they tortured her, but she wouldn't give in. So they decided to beat her to death in the hopes that you would come out seeking revenge. That was when Dom and I came in."

"What did they look like?"

"All in black, with black masks, nothing to place them."

******************************************************************************************

"Nathan , how could you do that?" Jean railed .

"She's better off this way," Nathan replied coolly.

"You don't know that!"

"What if they attack her again?" Scott asked, as always thinking strategically..

"They won't," Logan put in. "They've figured out that they can't use her."

"What if she finds out about her cybernetics?" Scott questioned him.

"Then she will be compelled to seek me out, so I can explain."

"And where will you be?" Jean asked barely getting a handle on her anger.

"Hong Kong. I've built my shields back up, so I won't mind a city. And I want to be with Dom. This is our chance for a fresh start."

"You could stay here and teach," his father said.

"What ? How to defeat an evil immortal Egyptian?"

"Law, civics, something like that."

Nathan shrugged, "Maybe one day, but not now."

"Leave 'im be, Slim," Logan told Scott. "Let 'em have their honeymoon."

Jean perked up and stopped glowering. "Are you two getting married?"

Nathan smiled at the thought, visions of an insane wedding running through his mind. "Not right now at any rate."


	8. Hong Kong in Early Morning

The doorbell rang. "Oath, McCoy, couldn't you have waited til morning?" Nathan muttered himself.

"Uhhhh," Domino groaned as she stretched. The doorbell rang again. "I'll get it. Go put on some coffee, Nate." She climbed out of bed and grabbed her robe. The doorbell started ringing continuously, sounding vaguely like Beethoven's Fifth. Domino opened the door. "Geez, Hank. Chill with the doorbell. It's three fucking AM."

"My most sincere apologies and my most heartfelt salutations, dearest delightful Domino," He said stepping into the apartment.

"It's too early for alliteration, Hank."

Hank handed her a brightly wrapped package. "I know your birthday is a little while off but I didn't know when I'd get over here again."

"Fuck, Dom," Nathan began as he walked into the living room, carrying a coffee mug and levitating two others. "I'd known you for ten years before I knew your birthday and you tell him after one drunken night. I bet you told him your real name too."

"Oh, shut up, Nate, and hand me that coffee." She grabbed the mug that floated over to her. "Besides you never asked me when my birthday was. Grizz and Kane knew. Hell even GW. So don't blame me for your lack of curiosity. Ungrateful bastard."

" Is this a bad time?" Hank asked a little perplexed as he retrieved the mug floating near him.

"We're not morning people," Nathan explained.

"Especially 3 AM morning people," Domino complained.

"Oh, just stop that right now. You're the one that told him to come immediately. Couldn't you have waited to call until nine or ten."

"You're just a whiney little bitch sometimes, you know that, Nate? Act your age. Oh, excuse me, you are. How old should you be without all the time travel and shit.? What five or six?"

"Don't you start with me, Dom."

"Um, excuse me," Hank interrupted. "While this expletive laden dialogue is diverting, in a "Moonlighting" sort of way. What exactly required my urgent early morning appearance on your doorstep?"

Nathan and Domino turned to him, their argument forgotten. "Sit down, Hank," Nathan told him. 

Hank looked at them warily and sat down on the couch. "I don't like the sound of that cliché, Nathan."

Nathan sat in a chair opposite him and Domino perched on the arm. "Trish Tilby is here."

"In Hong Kong?"

"In the spare bedroom."

"I see," Hank replied evenly, schooling his face to remain emotionless as if that would stop all the conflicting feelings churning inside him. "And I take this to mean that she has discovered what happened to her?"

"She was in a bombing in Israel," Domino told him. "Her arm was messed up and she realized that is was cybernetic."

"So she came to you, Nathan, just as you said she would when she found out."

"Yeah, she showed up at our door about three hours ago. She was fine and then after we explained what happened she became hysterical and I put her to sleep. And then we called you. We thought you might want to keep this quiet."

" So, Hank it's up to you," Domino said. "You can repair her arm and Nate can reprogram her and she won't remember any of this trip."

"Oath, Dom, you make her sound like a computer. I didn't program her. I just blocked some events and suggested others."

" Or," Domino rolled her eyes and continued. " Nate can take all the "blocks" and "suggestions" out of her mind and let her deal with what happened to her on her own."

Hank stared at his coffee, searching for answers in its depths. "I appreciate that your sensitivity by not bringing her to the mansion and I would entreat you to continue to keep this matter private."

"Nate and I know a thing or two about privacy, Hank," Domino told him.

"That's the understatement of the millennium, babe," Nathan muttered taking a sip of his coffee.

"May I see her before I make my decision?" Hank set his coffee mug down and rose to his feet. 

"Of course, "Nathan replied. " When you wake her she may be a little groggy and not remember what exactly happened. I put her in a pretty deep sleep."

"Okay." Hank said simply and headed down the hall to the spare bedroom. He opened the door quietly into the darkened room He could just barely make out her are form in the moonlight. She looked so tiny and fragile in the huge bed. He walked silently in and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Trish," he whispered but she didn't awaken. So he began shaking her gently. "Trish, c'mon, wake up."

Trish shifted turning over to face him. "Hank ?" she asked blerrily rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, Trish. I'm here."

"Oh, thank God, Blue," she sat up quickly and reaching out to hug him. "I had the worst dream."

Hank was too stunned to do anything other than allow her to crawl into his lap and bury her face in his chest.

"Oh, Hank, it was horrible," she said her voice slightly muffled from being buried in his arms. " I dreamed you almost got killed and then changed into a big blue lion. Then after I was seen with you like that I began to receive hate mail and their were these horrible tabloid stories about us. Someone even sent me a kitten dyed blue, saying that our kids would look like that. The network threatened to fire me and I just caved . I told you I didn't want to see you anymore. It was horrible and then I was at the mansion covering a press conference and aliens invaded trying to kill everyone and in the middle of it you told me you were gay. Isn't that silly, Hank? How could _you_ be gay? At any rate, that got out into the press and then some one attacked me. Cable, of all people, rescued me. I wonder what made me dream about him, but anyway, I got a cybernetic arm like his and then I came to Hong Kong to find him and get some answers. Then you woke me up. I'm glad you're here, Hank. I missed you."

Hank closed his eyes and wished that it were all a dream and wrapped his arms tighter around her, but careful not to crush her. "I missed you too, my dearest."

"Come on, Hank. Let's go to bed. I'm tired, and I know you must be. I know how you stay up all night in your lab. I bet you haven't slept in days. You work so hard, Blue. I worry about you." Trish pulled away from him and began to unbutton his shirt. He didn't stop her. He was half convinced himself that the past couple of months were a horrible dream. In any case, what could one night of living in the past hurt? She helped him pull off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. Hank pulled off his boots and pants and added them to the pile. Trish lifted the covers and he crawled in beside her. She snuggled close to him stroking the fur on his chest. He held her tightly not ever wanting to let her go. Trish yawned. "Good night. I love you, Blue."

Those words struck his heart, and he knew he couldn't continue this charade no matter how much he wanted to. Even for a night. "Trish, it wasn't a dream."

She didn't respond. Hank listened to her slow regular breathing and knew she was a asleep. So he lay there with Trish sleeping contentedly in his arms and wishing the night would never end, because he didn't know how he could face the morning.

*****************************************************************************************

"Are you going to open your present, Dom?" Nathan asked, telekinetically handing it to her.

Domino grinned and ripped the paper off the box. She lifted the lid to reveal a tee-shirt and jeans. 

" 'Lucky Brand Dungarees Too Tough To Die,' " Nathan read the logo on the purple shirt. "He's really running this "lucky" thing into the ground."

Domino laughed, "Oh yeah, Nate and what about this bauble?" She shook the platinum domino bracelet on her arm.

"Well, okay, so I struck down into a moment of cheesiness." He grabbed her arm and pulled her down off the chair arm and into his lap. "Hank has decided to spend the night with Miss Tilby."

"Oh, he has, has he?"

"Jealous?"

"Not if we can finish what Miss Tilby interrupted."

***************************************************************************************

Logan walked into Chanel. A snotty looking sales woman gave him a disapproving look and headed over to him. "May I help you, 'sir'?"

"Yeah. I'm here to pick up a package for Emma Frost."

"I see, sir. I'm afraid it's not quite ready yet. Perhaps you'd like to wait in the lounge upstairs."

"Sure." Logan followed her into the elevator. When the door opened the sales woman gestured to a large beige leather couch. Logan sat down. "Perhaps I could get you a drink?"

"Jack Daniel's. Neat."

The sales woman left and Logan looked around. It was a very simple and elegant room decorated in black, white, and beige. Here and there around the room were scattered little bouquets of camellias. He heard a rustle of fabric and smelt a familiar perfume. He glanced around to see the Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine glide into the room with his drink in her hand. She smiled seductively at him and spun around. "What do you think, Logan?" she asked with a slight Italian accent.

He eyed her dress, a simple long black grown that left her back almost completely bare. He whistled in appreciation. "I think I wish my name was Nicholas Joseph Fury."

She laughed as she handed him his drink and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she sat down beside him on the couch. "Nick says hi by the way. It would have been too obvious if he met you."

"Whatcha got for me, Val, darlin'?"

"It's about Weapon X."

"Shit."

"I need you to set up a meeting with Cable, Domino, and Dr. Henry McCoy. This involves them all."

"Why Hank?"

"The Director has seen his potential and is trying to "recruit" him."

"Damn it. I had a feelin' this would happen." 

Trish awakened and was disappointed to find that Hank was not there. _It had been a dream, _she thought. She pulled on her robe and crept into quiet apartment. _Domino and Cable must have gone out or still be asleep, _she reasoned. Trish wandered into the kitchen in search of something to eat. 

"Good morning, Miss Tilby. Would you like some coffee?"

She jumped , startled at Nathan's voice. She hadn't seen him sitting there at the table. "Yes, please," she said when she regained her composure.

Nathan never looking up from his newspaper, telekinetically poured her a cup of coffee. "Would you like a piece of paper?" he indicated to a pile of discarded newspapers.

She glanced down at them. They were in Chinese. She couldn't read Chinese. "No thanks."

"The New York Times and the Daily Bugle are in there somewhere."

This was getting creepy. The other telepaths she'd met didn't go around reading her mind so casually or if they did they didn't answer her unasked questions. "Um, thanks." She dug through the pile finding the Times.

"Dom and Hank went down to the store to pick up something for breakfast. We weren't expecting to entertain guests."

Trish looked up from her paper. "Hank is really here? Why?"

"To repair your arm, of course," Hank said walking in with an armful of donut boxes and grocery bags.

Trish stared at him. He wasn't blue and furry. He was in his original human form. "Oh, Hank, you've changed again!"

Hank set the boxes on the table and smiled bitterly at her as he flicked a switch on his belt and returned to his lionesque form. "Image inducer. Surely you remember those."

Domino came in behind him with a grocery bag. Hank smiled genuinely at her and took the bag from her arms. "Shall we begin our culinary adventure, Lucky?" 

"McCoy, you Thundercat reject, I swear if you call me that again I'm going to have a new blue fur coat!" she glowered.

"Promises, promises."

Nathan hid a smile behind his coffee cup. Domino hated being called "Lucky," almost as badly as "Petey the Dog". Domino pulled off her black leather coat revealing her Lucky Jeans t-shirt Hank had given her and they set about making bacon, eggs, and toast, while Nathan continued reading his paper and Trish pretended to read hers. A short time later, Hank set a plate in front of her. "I believe this is your customary morning repast." She looked down at the plate. Scrambled eggs, four pieces of crispy bacon and a lemon jelly filled donut. "Thank you, Hank."

Hank nodded his acceptance and sat down in between Nathan and Domino with his own massive plate of food. He shuffled through the papers until he found one of his liking. It was also in Chinese.

"This is great, Hank. I don't suppose you want to stay here and be our cook.?"

"You never know, Nathan. I must confess there are times when I tire of the hustle and bustle of the Institute."

Trish was about to reach for the pitcher of orange juice but it came floating over as if on its own accord and refilled her glass. "Thank you, Cable."

"That name no longer has any meaning for me. Call me Nathan."

"Nathan what?"

"Summers."

"Summers?" she asked more than slightly confused.

"Yes, Patricia, this is little Nathan Christopher all grown up and returned from a future that no longer exists," Hank told her. "Surely you knew that."

"No, I didn't," Trish responded harshly. "You never seemed to think it was necessary to tell me much of anything."

"With good reason, Patricia, as you have proved over and over," Hank said coldly lowering his paper to glare at her.

"Damn it, Hank! Are you never going to let that go? Some one else would have found out about Dr. MacTaggart eventually. At least I was able to control the spin."

"She's right, Hank. If someone with an anti-mutant stance-"

Hank cut Nathan off, growling out, "That wasn't the first time nor the last, was it, Miss Tilby ?"

"It's my job. I have never been anything but objective and even biased in favor of the mutant side."

"You keep telling yourself that. You might even come to believe it one day."

"And you keep telling yourself that holing up in a lab only coming out to save the world is really living. Maybe one day you'll believe that!"

Nate, Domino said over their link. Snag some popcorn this is getting good.

"You do nothing but hide, Hank," Trish continued angrily. "You hide behind your test tubes, your big words, your goofy humor, and super heroics, but you're just scared. You're a coward, Doctor Henry Philip McCoy !"

Hank stood up and glowered down at her. "Do you know why I hide as you say? Because of people like _you_! People I routinely risk life, limb, and sanity for. People who see nothing but a Big, BLUE, **FUCKING** LION, who could rip them to shreds or eat them alive if he so chose. Aren't you afraid of me, Trish? Don't I look at you like you're prey?" Hank growled at her showing his sharp white teeth.

"Hank-" Domino started , but Trish slapped him so hard he drew back with a startled look on his face, rubbing his cheek. "Don't you dare threaten me! I'm not afraid of you!" 

Hank shook off the momentary shock and grabbed her arm dragging her into the living room. 

A little worried, Domino looked over at Nathan. "Should we interfere?"

"No," Nathan replied. "He wouldn't hurt her."

Hank pulled Trish into the living room and flung her onto the couch. She immediately jumped to her feet. "Don't you dare manhandle me like I'm the Juggernaut or someone."

Hank bowed deeply, mockingly. "I humbly apologize for my brutish treatment of your person, Miss Tilby. If you are so inclined, will you please take a seat so that I may repair your arm and depart post-haste."

"All you had to do was ask nicely," she said sitting back down on the couch.

"Indeed." Hank sat down beside her and began opened several cases of tools and parts. Trish pulled off her robe to reveal her damaged arm. Hank lifted it gently and began to examine the sizable hole in the burnt "flesh" and the cybernetics beneath. "Is the damage strictly cosmetic?" he asked slipping into "Doctor Henry McCoy" mode. "What exactly are you having trouble with?"

"I'm having a hard time keeping a grip on things. Especially heavy things. And my reflexes seem a little off."

Hank pricked her hand with a needle and it took several seconds more than it should for a reaction. "I see." Hank set about the repair of her arm. Trish looked away from what he was doing. It was so strange to think of that metal and plastic as her arm. She unconsciously held her breath, bracing herself against the expected potential pain of the repair. Hank noticed it and told her, "This might feel a little strange, but there should be no pain. Tell me if it is too uncomfortable."

"Okay," she said, releasing her breath, but he could tell she was still tense. 

"How did you sustain these injuries?" he asked still coolly professional.

"I was in a café in Jerusalem that was bombed."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You're not the misguided zealot who blew himself up."

"No," Hank said stopping his work but still holding her hand gently in his big paws. " I meant I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier."

She looked up at him and smiled sadly. "It's okay, Hank. You've been through a lot lately."

"Not so much as you, Trish." He reached up and tucked behind her ear a long piece of hair that had fallen in her face. "You are a very courageous lady."

"Hank-" she began but the moment was shattered. Hank looked embarrassed and began on her arm again. Trish searched for something to say to break the uncomfortable silence. "Hank, I've been wondering what all you had to "reconstruct"? How badly was I injured?"

"Well, your right arm of course," Hank said with his calmly detached doctor voice, but he didn't look at her. He just continued his repairs. "It was so badly mangled even Xorn couldn't save it. I had no choice but to amputate it. Both your legs had been broken. The left in two places, the right only once. That was not a problem Xorn healed those easily, but both your knees were crushed. They are now cybernetic. Your left shoulder was dislocated and your left arm was broken . You had massive internal injuries and bleeding. Six of your ribs were broken and one punctured your right lung and again Xorn healed those with relatively no problem. And your face- your face," he repeated, the professionalism faltering. He just stared at his ineffectual hands as he continued speaking. "I couldn't even recognize you when Nathan brought you in. It didn't even look like a face. Xorn was unable to anything and I certainly wasn't capable of such a procedure, but I have a colleague, a cosmetic surgeon. He's a mutant. He's able to manipulate bone, muscle, and skin in others. He came and reconstructed your face. If I had thought of him earlier he might have been able to save your arm. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You saved my life. You made me whole again."

"But I didn't. You would have died without Xorn and Forge made your cybernetics. I was useless," he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Trish. I'm sorry that your association with me has cost you so dearly."

"Hank, don't say that. That's not true."

"But it is." He sighed again as if casting out unwanted emotions. "That should be it. See how that feels."

Trish felt an immediate difference as she began to manipulate her hand. The delay was completely gone. "That's much better."

"The skin will heal itself within several days. I put a bandage over the hole to conceal it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he told her as he began to put his stuff away.

"Hank, what happened to Bones? Did they kill him?"

"No. Logan and Nathan brought him back to the Institute after they went back to your apartment to investigate. Nathan said he might trigger your memory, so I kept him." Hank smiled slightly. "He and Splinter are great friends."

"I named him after you."

"I know. I read your journal. They brought that too. I know I shouldn't have, but we were desperate for clues about what happened."

"I'm glad you read it there were some things in there you needed to know." Hank didn't reply and there were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence until she spoke again. "Hank, is Cable or, I guess, Nathan , going to alter my memories again?"

Hank turned away from his packing and studied her for a moment before he spoke. She seemed more than a little frightened. "Do you want him to?"

"No, I don't like not knowing what's happened to me whether its good or bad. Why would he do that anyway?"

"Actually I asked him to."

"You asked him to? I think you need to explain yourself," she crossed her arms and leaned back to glare up at him.


End file.
